Isaac Cooper says he was devastated to be sent home from a training camp in France earlier this year due to a misuse of prescription medication but has refused to go into detail around the circumstances that led to his ban from the Commonwealth Games.
Cooper is back in the pool this week in Melbourne for the World Shortcourse Championships. He finished second in his 100m backstroke semi-final with a new personal best on the opening night of competition at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
The 18-year-old was sent home from a training camp in Chartres in the lead-up to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, with Swimming Australia citing “wellbeing challenges” as well as misuse of prescription medication.
Cooper faced no further disciplinary action on his return to Australia. SA denied that sleeping medication Stilnox was involved.
“He has acknowledged his mistakes and accepted the consequences and Swimming Australia will continue to support him as he addresses these challenges,” SA said in a statement. “The welfare of our athletes remains our absolute priority.”
Isaac Cooper is back in the pool at the World Shortcourse Championships in Melbourne.Credit:Getty
Speaking after his heat on Tuesday morning, Cooper was asked about events in France but declined to go into detail.
“Not right now,” Cooper said.
Cooper did admit that leaving teammates had been tough to deal with.
“Of course I was disappointed,” Cooper said. “I’m a swimmer, I’m there to compete and I couldn’t compete. It was devastating having to watch them when I knew a week [earlier] I was standing beside them. I’m back here now standing beside them.
“It’s good to be racing. I was pretty nervous leading up to it all day. It didn’t get worse. I was glad I was able to race well. It was a shame having to watch my teammates on the TV.”
He finished second in his 100m backstroke heat the same morning to qualify but admitted the first race felt like “dusting off the cobwebs” before he shaved 1.4 seconds of his new PB of 50.01 the same evening.
“I sort of have always known that I’ve had these times in me, just haven’t been able to do it,” he said. “But since moving to the Sunny Coast, I’ve just been in a great environment…my team have always been behind me, supporting me. I think this is what will bring the best out of me.”
“I’m just proud of myself to even get to the race.”
Australian head coach Rohan Taylor addressed the issue before the Commonwealth Games in July.
“It was brought to our attention there were some things that needed to be addressed,” Taylor said. “We addressed those with Isaac. We felt it was in his best interest that he looks after his wellbeing and it was not to the standards of the team.”
Cooper said when he returned to Australia he trained by himself for three weeks without a coach or a squad. He received professional help to get himself in the right mindset to compete again.
“Swimming Australia has given me psychiatrists and psychologists,” Cooper said. “They have been really helpful. I saw some of them leading into the competition. They’ve all said that leading into this comp, everything is fine. There are no issues at all. I’m just in the zone I’ve always wanted to be.
“My closest friends reached out to me and supported me. My closest friends and I went away for a holiday. That was fantastic to reset. They bring out the best in me and I bring out the best in them.”
In a post on Instagram that has since been deleted, Cooper shed light on why he was sent home.
“My misuse of medication was not banned substances,” Cooper wrote. “It was ultimately my wellbeing and mental health that resulted in me going home.
“It was difficult to accept in myself that I needed to address my mental health, but I believe that it is an ever-present issue in all communities, including that of a professional athlete.”
Cooper is a highly rated young backstroker who finished 12th at the longcourse World Championships in Budapest earlier this year. He will also compete in the 50m backstroke.
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